


By the Fire

by orphan_account



Series: Femslash Yuletide 2013 [1]
Category: Marvel, X-Men, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-02
Updated: 2013-12-02
Packaged: 2018-01-03 06:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1067173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Irene and Raven spend many a night curled up by the fire together, but this night is different than most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By the Fire

On cold winter nights, Raven always lit the fireplace. Irene told her, as she did every year, that she could fare perfectly well lighting the fire, because she could feel the warmth and hear the crackle of flames once they caught, but Raven insisted. She never said it was because of Irene being unable to see, but both of them knew that Raven was trying to keep her safe, even from something little like this. That was how it usually went with them - they tried as hard as they could to protect each other, even if the other thought it was silly. But at least both of them were protected a little, this way.

Irene knew that at this point, Raven did it as a kindness, and she didn’t mind so much anymore. Besides, it was nice to curl up with Raven beside the fire. They had lived together for a while now, Raven helping her decipher the puzzle of visions that she had written down in her diary. Raven had originally only been an employee, but they had become close friends without expecting it, and Irene was glad to live together with Raven now.

She had finally pinned down what exactly she felt for Raven, and was a little unsettled to discover that what she felt was more than just friendship. So she kept it to herself, just glad for Raven’s presence in the first place, as she didn’t want to disgust her and scare her off. When they shared a bed or a sofa, they did it for warmth, and not because of feelings on either end. The nights were bitterly cold in the winter, and both of them found each others’ warmth comforting.

Raven curled up beside Irene on the sofa now that she had set the fire, and Irene smiled, basking in both Raven’s warmth and the warmth of the fire. She loved peaceful nights like this. She and Raven had work to do, but it could wait until tomorrow. It exhausted Irene to go through everything she had written down, because it brought back memories of the visions, and she could only deal with so much. Raven knew this, so they often shared relaxing nights like this together, giving them both a break.

Tonight, however, Irene was finding it hard to concentrate. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore her feelings for Raven, and that was made all too clear when Raven was so close, curled up against her side. She settled her arm around the other woman, trying to keep her mind strictly on platonic things, but it wasn’t working very well.

“You’re quiet tonight,” Raven noted, looking up at Irene. Irene wished that she could consciously control whether she blushed or not, because she had the feeling that her face was just a little red.

“I’m feeling fairly tired,” Irene offered as an excuse, but Raven made a noise that told her that she didn’t believe that was the whole truth.

“Would you like to go to bed, then?” Raven said, and Irene tried not to think of the other context that question could imply.

“You’ve just lit the fire, Raven. It’s all right; we’ll stay here.” Irene settled close to Raven, her feelings for Raven eating away at her, even though she didn’t show it on her face.

“If you insist.” Raven said, and Irene could hear the smile in her voice as she leaned her head on Irene’s shoulder. Irene caught Raven’s scent - it was a bit intoxicating, and made her never want to move from this spot. After a moment, Irene took a risk, and let her hand come up to stroke Raven’s hair gently. Raven gave a soft hum and slipped closer, seeming entirely unbothered by the action, so Irene continued, trying to get herself to relax. Friends could be very close, and this was the sort of thing they did, she told herself. Her other thoughts were things she simply wasn’t allowed to have, and she needed to learn to be all right with that.

“Quiet tonight and affectionate, apparently.” Raven chuckled a little, and Irene’s hand froze on Raven’s hair, her face flushing.

“Is - is that a problem?” There was something about this subject that made her much less eloquent than usual, and she felt like she was stumbling over her tongue.

“Not a bit,” Raven said. “I quite like it, actually.” She turned her face up to look at Irene, her tone mischievous. “You should let your hair down. It must be harder to relax when your hair is done up in a bun.”

“I - “ Irene began, but then Raven’s hands were in her hair, taking the pins out and undoing the carefully put-together bun. Irene’s hair fell gently down and rested on her shoulders, but Irene was hardly paying attention to that. All she was able to concentrate on was the feeling of Raven’s hands in her hair, and she barely managed to stifle what would have been a whimper when Raven’s hands retreated.

Raven smirked. “You look a little distracted, ‘Rene.”

That just made Irene turn even redder. “I’m fine, Raven. It just felt nice.” That was sort of true, at least. She was getting the impression, however, that Raven knew exactly what was going on in Irene’s head. She wondered how long Raven had suspected, if that was true, and decided not to think about it.

Raven slipped closer, wrapping her arms around Irene’s back, and suddenly she was closer to Irene than she had ever been. She looked up at Irene, meeting her eyes, and Irene was certain that Raven could feel how quickly her heart was beating.

“You aren’t very good at hiding your feelings, you know. Not around me.” Raven’s smirk had faded, relaxing into a soft smile, and Irene felt a rush of embarrassment. “I can tell, Irene. It’s all right.”

Irene looked to the side, cringing a little. “Was I really that obvious? I thought I was being discreet.” Raven hadn’t said whether she reciprocated yet, and Irene still doubted that she did, despite how close to her Raven was now. It was something she couldn’t quite make her mind believe, and it had seemed like it was destined to stay in her imagination. Raven was probably letting her down easily, since they were friends. That must be it.

“I pick up on things,” Raven said, reaching a hand up to rest against Irene’s cheek, turning Irene’s face toward her to look at her again. It was hard to meet Raven’s eyes now because Irene was so embarrassed, and she knew her face was incredibly red.

“I - I’m sorry if it’s overstepping boundaries - “ Irene knew what she was saying didn’t make sense in the context, given that Raven was holding her close and her hand was on her cheek, but it was hard to make herself believe that this was actually happening. Luckily, Raven cut her off before she could say anything else that was idiotic, leaning forward and kissing her gently on the lips.

Irene leaned into the touch, feeling her heart pound as Raven continued to kiss her. It was a gentle, long kiss, and Irene only hoped that she wasn’t a terrible kisser. When Raven pulled away, they both were breathless. Raven took Irene’s hand, putting it up to her cheek, and Irene felt Raven smiling. After a moment, Irene smiled too, just faintly.

“You’re brilliant, but sometimes you’re kind of an idiot.” Raven’s tone was fond, and Irene looked to the side, embarrassed all over again. “I’ve suspected this for a while now. But it’s all right.”

“You feel the same way?” Irene knew that was the most likely option, given what Raven had said and done, but her brain wanted something concrete, something that her mind hadn’t generated from implications alone.

“Irene Adler, I find myself quite over the moon for you,” Raven said, laughing softly. “Is that enough for you?” Irene smiled to herself, pulling Raven close and feeling little bubbles of happiness well up within her. Raven’s arms wrapped around her, giving her a squeeze.

“Definitely enough.” Irene moved her face close to Raven’s, and then kissed her again, losing herself in the touch.

There wasn’t much talking after that - just the crackling of the fire, and the occasional soft sound from either of them, soft sounds that blended in with the warmth. Everything seemed to blend into the warmth, and both of them became lost in sensation. Irene had never expected a night like this, but she knew there were many more to come. And that simple fact made her happier than words could say.

 


End file.
